PIE CHART / TABLE

LINE GRAPH / BAR GRAPH

WRITING TASK 1
(ACADEMIC)
9.0 NINER CEBU IELTS REVIEW
CENTER

WRITING TASK 1
(ACADEMIC)
It consists of 1 or more statistical figures and/or

an illustration.
The task is to DESCRIBE the graphic

information in your OWN WORDS.

The examinee is required to describe the

information in a report of AT LEAST 150

WORDS.
This task is recommended to be finished in 20

MINUTES.

WRITING TASK 1
(ACADEMIC)
Minimum number of words: 150
Time allotted: 60 minutes for the whole

writing subtest
20 minutes Writing task 1
40 minutes Writing task 2

Value:
33.3% - Writing task 1
66.6% - Writing task 2

2 MAIN CATEGORIES
Statics
Pie chart
Table
Line graph
Bar graph

Processes
Cycles

General Rules:
Use block format
One space in between paragraphs
Include time element (when), place (where),

participants (who)
NO opinion for writing task 1
NO analysis
NO interpretation
Limited to descriptions
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU WRITE, NOTHING

MORE.

WT1 Questionnaire
2 Parts:
Task description
Illustration/s

Task Description

It is the title/name of the graphic figure

that you need to present.

PARTS OF TASK 1 ESSAY:

INTRODUCTION 2-3 sentences
BODY
CONCLUSION 2-3 sentences

Remember, it does not mean that there are 3

parts that there would only be 3 paragraphs.
Each essay would differ in the number of
paragraphs depending on the figure/s given to
you.

INTRODUCTION:
the trailer of the topic/task
paraphrase the TASK DESCRIPTION
You use your own words to present the

information you are going to describe.

2-3 sentences
Present tense
No specific numbers or statistical
figures
ELEMENTS (time, location/places,
events, parties involved and others)

INTRODUCTION:
Synonyms for show
Present, point out, illustrate, demonstrate,

display, reveal, express

Do not put above, below, given or

provided

BODY: SPECIFIC DETAILS

It is the presentation of all the relevant

figures.
This should include all necessary
information but it does mean that it should
contain all figures.
With time element - past tense
Without time element - present tense

CONCLUSION/OVERVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS (most and least significant)
Overall trend/ranking - graphs
Overall observation/last step or stage - processes
2-3 sentences
With time element, past tense
Without time element, present tense
No numbers
Never say I conclude, one may conclude

that or a reasonable conclusion

_________INTRODUCTION________
________________________________
____________________.
_____________BODY______________
________________________________
__________________.
_____________BODY______________
________________________________
_______________.
__________CONCLUSION_________
________________________________
___________________.

Describing trends:
Trends are changes or movements.
These changes are normally expressed in

numeric items.
There are four basic trends:
Increasing
Decreasing
Fluctuating
Stable

Describing trends:
Expressing movement
Describing the movement
degree of change
speed of change
time of change

Describing trends
Expressing movement
Direction

Verbs

Nouns

increased (to)
peaked (to)
rose (to)
doubled (to)
elevated (to)

an increase
a peak
a rise
an increment
an elevation

Describing trends
Expressing movement
Direction

Verbs

Nouns

fell (to)
declined (to)
decreased (to)
dipped (to)
dropped (to)
went down (to)
slumped (to)
reduced (to)

a decrease
a decline
a fall
a drop
a slump (a
dramatic fall)
a reduction

Describing trends
Expressing movement
Direction Verbs
levelled out (at)
did not change
remained stable (at)
remained steady (at)
stayed constant (at)
maintained the same
level

Nouns
A levelling out
No change
A plateau at

2. BODY
2.1 Expressing movement
Direction

Verbs

Nouns

Erratic trends

fluctuated (around)

a fluctuation
Erratic trend
Varied trend
Irregular
pattern

Describing the movement:

adjectives and adverbs
Describing the DEGREE of change

Adjectives
dramatic
sharp
huge

Adverbs
dramatically
Sharply

Enormous
steep
substantial
considerable

enormously
steeply
substantially
considerably

Describing the movement:

adjectives and adverbs
Describing the DEGREE of change

significant

significantly

marked

markedly

moderate

moderately

slight

slightly

small
minimal

minimally

marginal

marginally

Describing the movement:

adjectives and adverbs
Describing the SPEED of change

Adjectives

Adverbs

Rapid

rapidly

Quick

Quickly

Swift

Swiftly

Sudden

Suddenly

Steady

Steadily

Gradual

Gradually

Slow

Slowly

PIE CHART
Highest to lowest
1 paragraph for each chart if not directly

comparable.
If graphs are directly comparable, compare

immediately

Compare the types of

communication used in 1962 and
in 1982.

Computer; 15%

Letter; 10%
Computer; 30%

Letter; 50%
Phone; 35%
Phone; 60%

1962

1982

Compare the types of communication

used in 1962 and in 1982.
Types
Kinds, categories
Modes, means, ways, methods
Communication
Transferring (transmission) of information
Connecting to people
Getting in touch with people
1962 1982
in the year 1962, during the year 1962
After 20 years
After a score

Introduction
The two pie charts present the means in

which people used to get in touch with others

in 1962 and 1982. There are 3 kinds of
communication included in the study namely
phone, letter and computer.

Clothing; 4%

Clothing; 7%
Housing; 18%

Housing; 32%
Other goods and services; 28%

Other goods and services; 36%

Transport; 17%

Food; 22%

Household Expenditure in
Hong Kong 2000

Transport; 9%
Food; 27%

Household Expenditure in
Britain 2000

The 2 pie charts illustrate the percentages of domestic expenses in the

year 2000. The cohorts of the study come from two nations: Hong Kong
and Britain.
In Hong Kong, other goods and services reigned on the peak spot at 36%.
Food was on the second notch with a mark of more than 1/5. Transport
ranked fourth with 17% and was closely under housing with half of top
categorys record. Lastly, clothing was on the bottom list at 7%.
Comparatively, households in Britain spent most of their budget to
housing with slightly less than 1/3 slice of the pie. This was followed by
other goods and services, and food ranking second and third, respectively,
with an average of 27.5%. Next from the list was transport with a figure of
9%. Clothing received the lowest monetary distribution with only less than
5% in the said year.
To infer,, most of the spending were attributed to other goods and services
in the households of Hong Kong. Meanwhile, housing was predominant
among the said expenses in the British families. Furthermore, clothing was
consistent to be the least priority in both nations.

 DO NOT PANIC!
READ THE
INSTRUCTIONS
FIRST.

The 6 graphs demonstrate the number of

individuals who engaged in farming. There
are 3 time stamps included: 1950, 1990 and
2025.
In 1950, there were about 8 out of 10 people
who participated in agricultural sector in
developing countries. This figure was
reduced to almost 60% after 40 years. A
prediction was made revealing a further
drop to 37.7% in the year 2025.
Similarly, industrialized nations started with
the same figure as the formers end result.
This also portrayed a drastic decrement on
its record after 4 decades resulting in less
than 10%. In the year 2025, it was projected
that only 2% of the citizens wanted to take
part in the said field.
In brief, both categories exhibited
descending patterns as years passed by.
Also, developing countries were consistent
to have higher percentages in the whole
period of the study.

Table chart:
Highest to lowest
Use either vertical or horizontal approach

Home Entertainment Equipment

Households in the UK (2000)

DVD/Video

With
children
87%

Without
children
78%

Video games

52%

14%

PC

41%

17%

Satellite TV

28%

18%

Vide camera

23%

14%

With children

Without children

DVD/Video

87%

78%

Video games

52%

14%

PC

41%

17%

Satellite TV

28%

18%

Vide camera

23%

14%

The table depicts the percentage of families, with and without

kids, who used entertainment devices during the year 2000. The
study is done in the United Kingdom.
Households with young ones mostly preferred to watch DVD or
video with more than 4/5. Subsequently, 52% of them favoured to
play video games. Personal computers gained the third spot with
11% lower than the latters mark. Satellite television ranked 4 th at
28% closely followed by video camera with less than a quarter.

With children

Without children

DVD/Video

87%

78%

Video games

52%

14%

PC

41%

17%

Satellite TV

28%

18%

Vide camera

23%

14%

For couples without youngsters, majority of the them also used

DVD or video as their main source of enjoyment with 78%. Being
far second was satellite television with 18%. Personal computers
had the 3rd notch with a difference of only 1% from the record of
the previous category. The last position was both shared by video
games and video camera with 14% each.
Generally, families with children had a higher percentage of usage
of the different entertainment tools as compared to the ones
without children. Furthermore, DVD or video was consistent to be
the most preferred equipment in both households while video
camera remained to have the least number of users.

The table below presents information about the Australian economy in

the late 1980s.
Write a report describing the trends in profits shown in the table.
You should write at least 150 words.
Table 1: Company Profits Before Tax, By Industry ($ million)

Period

1986
1987
1987
1988
1988
1989

Manufacturi Minin
ng
g
4650
6615
8617
7810

3840
3816
3540
4992

Retail
Trade

Other

612
886
1349
1373

1232
1511
1696
397

Period

Manufacturi Minin
ng
g

Retail
Trade

Other

1986
4650
3840
612
1232
1987
6615
3816
886
1511
1987
8617
3540
1349
1696
1988
7810
4992
1373
397
1988
1989
The table presents the annual company profits before tax of
the 1989
Australian
economy from the year 1986 to 1990. The
1990
figures
are expressed in $ millions and are categorized into 4
industries.
In manufacturing, its original data started off with $4,650
million. It elevated by approximately $4,000 million for 2
consecutive years but showed a slight reduction by about
$1,000 million at the end of the survey.

Period

Manufacturi Minin
ng
g

Retail
Trade

Other

1986
4650
3840
612
1232
1987
6615
3816
886
1511
1987
8617
3540
1349
1696
1988
7810
4992
1373
397
1988
1989mining industry began with $3,840 million. A marginal
In 1986,
1989 - was notable after one year which continued for
decrement
another
year resulting in a figure of $3,540 million. However,
1990
the said sector was able to regain its profit with more than its
baseline mark, $4,992 million, in the year 1990.
For the retail trade, a consistent ascending pattern was
evident. Retails figure commenced from $612 million in the
year 1986 which gradually rose to $1,373 million towards the
end of the study.

Period

Manufacturi Minin
ng
g

Retail
Trade

Other

1986
4650
3840
612
1232
1987
6615
3816
886
1511
1987
8617
3540
1349
1696
1988
7810
4992
1373
397
1988
1989
Finally, the other sector demonstrated a steady elevation for the first 3
1989
years
with $1696
million in the year 1989. On the contrary, the final year
1990a steep decline ending with $397 million, making it the least
displayed
recorded income in the span of 4 years.
In general, manufacturings dominance was evident among the 4
industries for the whole 4-year period. Furthermore, all, except the
others, illustrated an increment on their incomes when compared to
their baseline data.

The table below gives information about the use of different modes of
transport in Shanghai in 1996, and one possible projection (high
motorization scenario) for their use in 2020.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.
Write at least 150 words.

Mode of
Transport
Walking
Bicycle
Scooter
Bus
Train
Car

1996
7%
27%
12%
39%
15%

2020
(projection)
3%
3%
7%
22%
13%
52%

A comparative study was conducted regarding the utilization of the

different means of transportation in Shanghai. The survey was done in
1996 and a prediction was also made in the year 2020.
During the year 1996, buses reigned on the top spot with a
percentage of 39. This was followed by bicycles with 27%. Cars and
scooters ranked third and fourth, respectively, with a difference of
only 3%. Walking had the least rate of 7.
Predictions were also made from the study. According to the data, in
the year 2020, more than half of Shanghais citizenry will likely use
cars as their leading method of transportation. Next from the
hierarchy shall probably be the buses which fell one notch with less
than of the regions populace. The subsequent positions will
possibly gain by trains and scooters with a discrepancy of 6%. Lastly,
both the bicycles and walking shall likely to share the 5 th spot with
only 3% each making it the lowest recorded data in the whole study.
To conclude, buses were predominant among the seven modes in the
year 1996. However, the study projected that in the year 2020, cars
will be the preferred transportation by the people.

Line graph:
Use cutting points
Show trends

(increase/decrease/unpredictable) first
before the numbers
Use numbers to support trends
What trend figure time

Words to be used when writing figures:

About, around, almost, nearly, more than, less

than

Cutting points:
Group together the time element with

almost the same figures/trends

There should be 1 sentence in every

cutting point.

NUMBER OF USERS (millions)

The chart below shows the number of users who

browse Yahoo! and Google in Australia in a regular
day.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

The line graph points out the number of Australian Internet

users who visited the 2 selected websites, namely: Yahoo!
and Google. The survey is done on a regular day for 14 hours.

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Google started off with a record of 30 million. It elevated to

nearly 40 million at 9:00 AM which went back to its almost
original state, over 30 million, 6 hours later. At 3:00 PM, the
number of its visitors remarkably peaked tripling its figure to
roughly 95 million at 6:00 PM. This was followed by a gradual
decline resulting in 50 million at the end of the study.

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

At 6:00 AM, Yahoo! had an initial value of 20 million which rose to

almost 30 million 3 hours later. Then, its figure dramatically
heightened to 90 million at 12:00 PM. However, this datum
suddenly abated to 20 million for another 3 hours. It doubled its
number to 40 million at 6:00 PM. Afterwards, a slight retrogression
was notable ending its value with 40 million at 12:00 AM.

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Generally, most of the Australian web users preferred to

use the Yahoo! site in the morning up to the early
afternoon. Meanwhile, in the late afternoon up to the
evening, these users mostly visited the Google site.

The illustration elucidates the amount of meat and fish

utilized by citizens in a particular country in Europe. The
research study started from the year 1979 to 2004.

In the year 1979, beef was the most popular form of meat with
over 200 grams per person weekly. This mark generally
presented a downward erratic trend falling significantly to just
more than 100grams in the year 2004.

Similarly, lamb also experienced an irregular drop from 150 grams

to about a third of that level 25 years later. Chicken, although
starting at the same level as the former, exhibited the opposite
trend equalling beef consumption in the year 1989 at around 190
grams. This datum continued to display a varied rising pattern
ending up as the most consumed product at approximately 250

In contrast, fish obtained the lowest amount of food utilization

by people. It started at slightly more than a third of beef and
chickens 250 grams and remaining relatively stable throughout
the period finishing below 50 grams.

In conclusion, the four variables included in the study

presented various trends over the 25-year period. Chicken
showed an increasing pattern while both beef and lamb
depicted a reverse one. Fish remained constant and by far as
the least consumed food during the whole period of the study.

Bar graph:
Notice the difference in the bars
Same with line graphs
Trends first before numbers
Use numbers to support trends
Words to be used when writing figures:
About, around, almost, nearly, more than,

less than

The bar chart gives information about the percentage of workers in different sectors
of employment in three countries at different stages of economic development.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.

Distribution of Employment by Sector

70

% of Workforce

60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Agricultural SectorIndustrial Sector

Service Sector

The graph exhibits the percentages of employed

workers in 3 selected countries. The distribution of
employment was categorized as follows: Agricultural,
Industrial and Service Sectors.
In Service Sector, Japan ranked first with a little over
60%. Brazil closely followed with less than 3/5. India
was at the bottom of the pyramid with almost 30%.
Comparatively, a similar hierarchy was evident in
Industrial Sector. Japan also dominated in the said field
with around 1/3 of the total employees. Subsequently,
Brazil gained approximately 25% while India got
almost 10% less from the latter.

On the other hand, a reverse in rank was noticeable

in the last category. India obtained the highest
figure of roughly 65%. Being a far second was Brazil
having only around a quarter. India had the least
employment rate of about 5 making it the lowest
recorded data in all sectors.
Generally, India was the predominant country in
Agriculture. However, in the other two areas, Japan
had supremacy both in Industry and Service but
became the least nation in Agricultural Sector.

The graph below shows the factories that experienced problems with car production for
the years 1994-1996.
Make a report to the Commission on Transportation describing the information given
below.

Car Problems
30
25
A
B
C

20
Defects/100 cars 15
10
5
0

1994

1995

1996

Car Problems
30
25
A
B
C

20
Defects/100 cars 15
10
5
0

1994

1995

1996

The data describes the number of defects per 100 vehicles in 3

factories. The survey includes three time stamps: 1994, 1995
and 1996.
Initially, factory C obtained the highest rate of greater than 25.
This figure fell to slightly below 25% 12 months later with a
further estimate of 1% reduction in the year 1996.

Car Problems
30
25
A
B
C

20
Defects/100 cars 15
10
5
0

1994

1995

1996

Factory A also had the same trend with the previous

category. It began with less than 25 failures per 100
vehicles. This was followed by a decrement to roughly 21%
a year later then to around 18% by the third year.
Alternatively, factory B started with a record of around 18
defects per 100 cars. After one year, this datum diminished
to almost 15% but returned to its initial defect level by the

Car Problems
30
25
A
B
C

20
Defects/100 cars 15
10
5
0

1994

1995

1996

In brief, factory C gained the biggest number of vehicle

problems whereas factories A and B got the same lowest
record in the latter part of the study. Additionally, the
automobile flaws clearly dropped continually in factories A
and C while showed a slight retrogression in the third one.